Labriola on the Steelers on their farewell

It's a built-in opportunity for some self-evaluation, and for the Steelers, this particular bye comes essentially in the middle of their 17-game regular season schedule. After a 26-18 win over the New York Giants at Acrisure Stadium on Monday Night Football, the Steelers enter their bye week at 6-2.

Certainly it's not a finished product as there are obvious areas that still need to be worked on, but equally certainly there are a lot of positive aspects to how this team has gotten to where it is at this point in its season.

Mathematically, they sit atop the AFC North Division at 6-2, with a one-game lead over 5-3 Baltimore and a three-game lead over 3-5 Cincinnati. With a record of 6-2, they are also currently the No. 3 seed in the AFC, behind Kansas City at 7-0 and Houston at 6-2. Their 6-2 was achieved with a three-game winning streak to start the season, followed by a two-game losing streak, and now the current three-game winning streak goes into their bye as a nice boost.

But their reality is that they're just laying a foundation for the real work ahead: all six games against AFC North opponents, plus trips to Washington and Philadelphia and then a Christmas date with the two-time defending champion Chiefs. On paper, that's a scary 9-week stretch, but one of the intangibles these Steelers appear to have is the proven presence of an NFL veteran at quarterback who understands what 6-2 on Halloween really means when you still play until Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.

“I think our training habits have been really exceptional,” Russell Wilson said. “We have to continue to grow every day. We did really well. We have to put pressure on. There are more touchdowns out there, more plays, more things. That’s what we’re going to do.” That.

“I think the best part is learning from what we've done really well so far, learning what we can get better at, but also understanding that it's a process. You want to be on the rise over time. I think we're on a journey right now to just continue to grow what we do and how we do it.

A few weeks ago, coach Mike Tomlin gave Wilson a chance to be what he was in his 12 full seasons in the NFL, and what has happened in the Steelers' offense since then has been encouraging. For the first time since Ben Roethlisberger's retirement, the Steelers have a quarterback who gets a pre-snap read, figures out where the ball is supposed to go, and then delivers a pass on time and accurately and relays it to a number of different receivers.

With Wilson at quarterback, Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III have become productive wide receivers to complement George Pickens; The tight ends are more involved, with Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington having receptions of 30, 29, 18 and 11 yards; And all of that has loosened things up for a running game armed with the separation of ripping off plays of 10, 26, 14, 34, 18 and 10 yards thanks to the combative style of Najee Harris.

The Steelers are in the process of developing a version of the type of offense necessary to be an effective complement to a winning team. Coordinator Arthur Smith has a good instinct as a game manager, the weekly plan is based on the strengths/weaknesses of each opponent and is inclusive.

If not for a facemask penalty on Broderick Jones, Wilson would have been good for an 11-yard touchdown against Pickens to cap an eight-play, 70-yard drive, and if Pickens hadn't had faulty footwork on another, If the same combination had been the case, it would have had a 9-yard touchdown to cap an 11-play, 70-yard drive. Granted, two “almost” touchdowns meant having to settle for field goals, but getting in position for two “almost” touchdowns is an improvement.

Proper hand placement to avoid an unintentional facemask penalty can be corrected, and footwork along the perimeter of the field can be practiced in more detail, but an offense capable of moving the football effectively and efficiently during the first 22 minutes of a game, is not the thing Steelers have had in recent seasons. This is progress.

What they already have in mind is that their special teams are finding new ways to make a positive difference every week. A placekicker who is 23-of-24 (95.8 percent) after going 4-for-4 on Monday night. A punter who averages 46.8 yards per reception, with his 29 kicks returning a total of 63 yards. Blocking field goals, blocking punts and, against the Giants, a 73-yard touchdown on a punt return by Austin, an emerging playmaker who added a 29-yard touchdown reception.

Another advantage is the so-called TJ Watt effect. A special talent with a combination of work ethic, intelligence and approach to excellence, Watt finds different ways to deliver in important situations to influence the outcome of a game. In Atlanta he finished the game with a sack. In Las Vegas, he forced two fumbles that were recovered by two teammates to prevent two touchdowns. There were two sacks against the Giants, one of which was a sack strip recovery that turned a third-and-7 from the Steelers' 19-yard line into a takeaway.

They will bring back Cam Sutton to bolster the mix in the defensive backfield, where rookie Beanie Bishop Jr. has accelerated his development through weekly sessions with a former secondary coach named Mike Tomlin, who broke into the league in Tampa and coached a young Ronde Barbier in a gold jacket.

Against the Giants, Bishop made his third interception in the last two weeks as he showed his nose for the football. The expected return of Nick Herbig will give them an additional flamethrower that can rattle them. Maybe they get Cory Trice Jr. back to add depth to the secondary.

But even against the Giants, the run defense allowed 157 yards for a 6.3-yard average, and the tackling was particularly suspect with a 45-yard gain from rookie Tyrone Tracy. The Steelers' nickel alignment was over-exploited by New York's running game, which served to protect quarterback Daniel Jones from taking too many opportunities.

The Giants killed themselves with 11 penalties for 65 yards that were costly and untimely, and the Steelers can't rely on that level of charity from opponents moving forward.

Yes, the 0 against 4 in the red zone cannot be overcome every time. And yes, the run defense. And yes, the schedule they face poses real challenges. But these Steelers appear to have the makings of some weapons of their own, not least a proven starting quarterback at the NFL level.